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COHORT

A Roman military unit (Gk. speíra) comprised generally of 600 personnel (size could vary from 500 to 1000) under the leadership of a chilíarchos. Cohorts were either regular, i.e., one tenth of a legion, or auxiliary, not attached to a legion. Auxiliary cohorts were often divided ca. 4:1 between infantry and cavalry; these were the units stationed in the border regions and remote areas of the empire. While stationed throughout the empire cohorts would recruit from the local population to replenish their strength (Josephus BJ 2.13.7), with citizenship being the reward for 20 years of service. During the reign of Claudius (41-54) the occasional practice of rewarding deserving cohorts with citizenship was made a standard procedure. No legionary troops were stationed in Judea from a.d. 6 to 66. Auxiliary units stationed in Jerusalem functioned as garrisoned troops and military police (cf. Matt. 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:3, 22; Acts 21:31).

Cohorts had descriptive or honorific names. The Italian Cohort, to which the centurion Cornelius was attached (Acts 10:1), was comprised of Roman citizens initially recruited in Italy and likely stationed in Caesarea from 41 to 44. Inscriptions referring to the Cohors II Italica also attest to this cohort being stationed in Syria ca. a.d. 69. The Augustan Cohort (Cohors Augusta Sebastenorum), to which the centurion Julius was attached (Acts 27:1), is attested by epigraphic evidence and Josephus as also being stationed in Syria. The identity and function of this cohort have been disputed. Some identify Julius and his cohort as frumentarii, special officers acting as liaisons between the emperor and the provinces and as imperial police, but these expanded duties are not attested to prior to the reign of Hadrian (117-138). At the time of Acts 27 the frumentarii had only the immediate duty of supervising the transportation of grain to Rome.

Bibliography. F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, 1990), 510-12; D. B. Saddington, “The Development of the Roman Auxiliary Forces from Augustus to Trajan,” ANRW II.3, 176-201; A. N. Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament (Oxford, 1963), 155-61.

Dennis M. Swanson

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

COHORT

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)